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Elephants Released To Wild for First Time in India

Monday, February 26, 2007

Assam, India

IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare www.ifaw.org) and its partner, WTI (Wildlife
Trust of India) today announced that six elephant calves have been successfully
released to the wild in Manas National Park.

The elephants—which were hand-raised at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation
and Conservation (CWRC)—were transported 450 kilometers from India’s Kaziranga
National Park to Manas National Park.

In Manas the elephants will
be reintegrated into a wild herd once they are familiarized with the area. It is
the first time elephants have been rehabilitated and released to the wild in
India. Sri Lanka and Kenya are the only other countries to have successfully
released hand-raised elephants into the wild.

“The elephants will
be allowed to move freely in the jungle during the daytime under the supervision
of a keeper,” said Dr. N. V. K. Ashraf, Director Wild Rescue of WTI. “At night,
for their security, they will be sheltered in a stockade built in an area of
about one hectare [about 10000 sq. meters].”

The elephants were
transported to an area of Manas called Doimari, an ideal elephant habitat
located far from the nearest human habitation. It is the biggest continuous
forest habitat (unfragmented habitat) in India’s north-east region and extends
from the Indian state of Assam up to the country of Bhutan.

“All
six elephants are being radio-collared for post-release monitoring. If there is
a problem we can find and rescue them,” said Dr. Bhaskar Choudhry, wildlife
veterinarian of WTI.

The six elephants, which range between
two-and-a-half and six-years-old, were hand-raised at the rehabilitation center
(CWRC) in Kaziranga. The young calves were rescued from different parts of Assam
and have been at the centre from one-to-five years. CWRC is India’s first
multi-species rehabilitation facility and was set-up in partnership between WTI,
IFAW, and the Assam Forest Department.

M. C. Malakar, Chief
Wildlife Warden, Assam and D. M. Singh, Kaziranga Park Director were present at
the elephants send-off from the centre in Kaziranga. Kampa Borgoyari, Deputy
Chief of the Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) received the elephants in
Manas.

A six-member veterinary team comprising doctors from the
College of Veterinary Science, Guwahati, Dr. Bijoy Dutta and Dr. Bhupen Sarma,
Dr. Bhaskar Choudhry, Dr. Anjan Talukdar, and Dr. Ashraf of WTI, and Dr. Raj
Jyoti Deka (as independent consultant) accompanied the elephants on their
journey from Kaziranga to Manas.

A. J. Cady, Director Animals in
Crisis and Distress, IFAW, and Vivek Menon, Executive Director, WTI also joined
the elephants. Mr. Cady symbolically released the elephants in Manas, signifying
arrival to their new home. The exercise is part of the elephant rehabilitation
programme initiated by WTI and IFAW with support from the Assam Forest
Department.

Background of the elephants

On August 28, 2002 CWRC staff rescued a two-week-old elephant calf (male)
from a trench on the Numaligarh tea estate. The orphaned calf was brought to
CWRC for care. The elephant is now five years old.

The second elephant calf (male) was one-year-old when it was rescued from
flood waters in Digboi by the forest department and brought to the centre on
December 8, 2002. The elephant is now six years old and the oldest of the
calves.

The third elephant calf (male) was rescued by CWRC staff from Koliabor near
the town of Tezpur on October 3, 2003. It had been stranded and orphaned. The
elephant is now three-and-a-half-years old.

The fourth elephant calf (female) was rescued from the Rupajuli tea estate
in Tezpur by estate workers on September 23, 2004. The two-month-old animal had
been injured after it fell in a trench and was displaced from its herd. The
animal was handed over to CWRC for care. The elephant is now
two-and-a-half-years old.

The fifth elephant calf (female) was rescued from the Barsapori tea estate
by estate workers on October 14, 2004. The two-month old calf was displaced from
its herd and was handed over to CWRC for care. The elephant is now
two-and-a-half-years old.

The sixth elephant calf (male) was about one-year-old when it was rescued
from the Numaligarh tea estate on October 19, 2004 and brought to the centre for
care. The elephant is now three-and-a-half-years old.